Every year, I become more and more aware of gifts from neighbors and friends. The gifts that seem to standout the most are always consumable food items that my family can eat, even after the holidays have ended.

So, I’ve changed my gift-giving focus to be more on the actual containers and wrappers that will hold the food I give. It’s all in the presentation—and it’s so much fun to find neat little jars, tins, cups and containers.

Two of my favorite containers this year include the paper bake pans. They are the perfect bakeware/gift wrap combo. We blogged about these bake pans earlier this season, but I had to bring them up again. They are the perfect size and they look great once finished. And the best part, no dishes to clean after baking!

The unzipped glass bowl is my favorite container this year. I bought up a bunch of these funky ziplock bag-shaped bowls to fill with goodies for friends and neighbors. These bowls are so unique that you’re almost guaranteed the recipient won’t already have one. The bowls are fun to layout on a coffee table or countertop year-round, so your gift will keep giving even after the holidays.

Good luck searching for your perfect containers for gift-giving season this year.
Solutions Creative Director —Lori Ann

Dozens of NEW practical problem solvers have arrived…just in time for the holidays! Make Christmas more memorable with these 5 fun stocking stuffers, handpicked by our staff at Solutions.

Ducky Tape Measure

Ducky Tape Measure: A fun, affordable stocking stuffer they can actually use.

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Now that Halloween is here, the holiday shopping season is upon us.  At Solutions we seem to be less focused on Halloween this year and more excited about preparing for Thanksgiving entertaining and Christmas family gatherings.  To help get you in the holiday mindset, we’ve listed below some of our favorite products that are new to Solutions for the 2011 holiday season.

Gift Box Ornaments:
New to the Gift Box Ornament roster is the Sock Monkey with his arm loaded with presents.  The Tall Santa got a fresh, new look this year as well.  Our Gift Box Ornaments are slightly larger than our Surprise Ornaments, so they hold more inside.  Whether it be candy, money, jewelry or a note, the new Sock Monkey Ornament will be happy to “gift wrap” your gift for you.

Read more »

At Solutions.com, we appreciate when customers take the time to send us feedback and reviews. These reviews not only help shoppers learn more about the product, but they also help our team do some fine-tuning on our end. We especially love to hear the creative ways our customers use our products in their homes. One of our favorite things to receive is a customer photo of a favorite Solutions product.

Here, a Solutions customer sent us a picture of her storefront where she displayed multiple Cat WOWindow Posters. We loved the photo so much we wanted to share it with you.

Solutions Customer Photo

Solutions Customer Photo

Solutions Customer Photo

Feel free to send us your photos anytime. Find the product you purchased at Solutions.com and write a review. There’s a “share pictures” option on the review page that allows you to upload and share your pictures with us.
Thanks for sharing!

If you’re like me, you could live in your sweat pants. In fact, the minute I get home from work, I slip into the most comfortable pants I can find in my closet—and usually I would rather not be seen in public.

Then I heard about Pajama Jeans. Could it be true? Do they feel like sleepwear but look like denim pants? Rachel Ray even featured these comfy jeans on her show. I had to find out for myself.

When I slipped them on for the first time, I was surprised how well they fit—they were super soft and comfortable compared to jeans, and they slipped on so easily. They have that worn-out feeling right from the start. On the first day in my new pajama jeans, I wore them the entire day and probably could have fallen asleep in them. My fiancé even gave them the thumbs up.

My favorite part? There are no zippers or buttons that get in your way, and they have a little boot-cut flair. And if an unannounced guest happens to show up at the door, I still look presentable. I hear they’re great for wearing on those long airplane trips, too.

I guess I’ll have to schedule a vacation soon…

Buy Pajama Jeans at Solutions.com

What’s the story behind our testing process? We definitely have fun with it.

In addition to our formal procedures, we test products in our own homes, so we’re sure they will perform in yours. Our buyers take pride in searching out the best problem solvers made. And when it comes to product testing, everyone at Solutions gets involved—including our creative and marketing teams. Even some of our team member’s kids put various toys to the test.

We all look forward to our Thursday meeting when our buyers bring out new products. It’s like our very own “show and tell.” They educate us on each product, pass it around, and decide who would be the best person to test it. We get giddy when there are enough product samples for everyone on the team to take one home! Often we unanimously decide on a product because we know it’s what our customer wants.

Here are some of our favorites that made the cut:
Our “lunch box” for grown-ups is a top favorite. We have a refrigerator full of Getaway Bags at Solutions. When you open the office fridge, the array of colorful prints can’t help but make you smile.

Senior Art Director Lori-Ann loves our Fridge Binz. In fact, we even used her fridge for the photo (you can see on our website and in the catalog). Merchandising Director Amy raves about the Rockin’ Capris. Whether she’s traveling to a product show, going to dinner or on a walk, these pants are always with her. “If I only traveled with one pair of pants, this would the one,” she says.

Copy Director Ellie said her mom taught her to bake using her 1950-something KitchenAid stand mixer. So when the buyers asked her to product test the BeaterBlade+ on her own KitchenAid mixer, she gladly agreed…although she wasn’t convinced her mixer could perform any better. But she was wrong! After more than a year of using the BeaterBlade+, she loves her mixer even more because she doesn’t have to stop to scrape the bowl.

When you say the words “DryMate® Kitchen Dry Mat,” Senior Copywriter Louise is the first to sing its praises. “I don’t put everything in the dishwasher, so this mat is great when I hand wash things like pans, knives, plastic items and things we use every day,” she says. “It’s not bulky like a rack, and absorbs water a lot better than the kitchen towels I used to spread on the counter. Plus, it’s nice enough to leave out all the time, but is also easy to roll up and store when company comes.”

Of course, there will always be those products that didn’t get past our staff. What are those products? You don’t even want to know!

If you’re looking for ways to stay cool this summer, you’ll love Pambra’s bra liner. This thin, super soft liner slips between your skin and your bra to absorb perspiration.  It keeps your skin and bra dry on hot and humid days, but it’s also great year-round. The company’s founder, Pamela Haven, also has a cause that is close to her heart.

Known for the Original Bra Liner, Pambra donates a portion of their sales to the Susan G. Komen Foundation’s fight against breast cancer. After Pamela herself lost her sister to breast cancer, she designed two mastectomy styles to help alleviate discomfort after surgery. The design even included a pink ribbon of hope.

Pambra’s line also includes a tummy liner that helps prevent heat rash and fungus that can develop under the abdominal fold. It helps to keep you dry…and confident. Thank you, Pambra!

Last summer, we added a set of French doors that opened onto our deck. We loved them, but soon found that leaving the doors open during the summer months let lots of flies and other insects into the house. After looking at several ways to screen it off, we decided that the Instant Bug Screen could be the answer.

We took some measurements and decided the 40” x 80” Instant Bug Screen (Solutions product number 64236) would be a perfect fit. Soon, the long square package containing all the pieces needed to get the job done arrived: two sections of screening, a long rod to go across the top, and some sticky Velcro® tabs.
Continue Reading Review: Instant Bug Screens